Jennie reynolds



(No Model.)

J. REYNOLDS.

v STEP.

No. 592,446. Patented Oct. 26,1897.

lln mum I I/ f lI UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JENNIE REYNOLDS, OF PITTSFIELD, ILLINOIS.

STEP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 592,446, dated October 26, 1897.

Application fllefl November 16, 1896. Serial No. 612,262. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, J ENNIE REYNoLDs,a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsfield, in the county of Pike and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steps; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in steps, and has more particular relation to car-steps.

The invention consists in certain novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter more particularly set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l represents a perspective view of the end of a railway-car the steps of which are provided with my irnprovernent, said step being in its operative position; and Fig. 2 represents a central vertical section through a iiight of steps provided with my improvement, the auxiliary step being turned up into its closed position.

A in the drawings represents the steps proper, and B my auxiliary step. The said steps proper are of any ordinary construction, with the exception that the bottom rise a is cut away slightly at the ends to accommodate the supporting-rods b of my said auxiliary step. These supportin g-rods are stair-step in form ation, and are provided at their upper ends with hooks h',said hooks being passed through loops b2, formed upon the opposite ends of a rod b3, which is loosely mounted upon the inner side of the lower portion of the rise a, so that said loops b2 project slightly beyond the ends of said rise. The said false step B connects the lower horizontal portions of the rods l). Vhen the said auxiliary step is in its extended position, as shown in Fig. l, the horizontal portions b4 of said rods b lie upon the top of the bottom step ct' of the steps proper, and thus supports the said auxiliary step in the proper position below and forward edge of the same.4 When the said auxiliary step is to be turned up out of the way, the horizontal portions b4 of the rod b are slipped through the loops b2 until the ends of the vertical portions b5 of said rods b engage said loops b2. The said false step B is then turned up over the tread a2 of the steps proper, with the Vertical portions b5 of the rods b lying against the rise a. It will be observed that when turned up in this position my said auxiliary step is altogether out of the Way, but may be instantly turned down into position again when so desired.

I intend my 'invention principally to take the pl-ace of the usual bench or stoop placed beside the steps of railway-cars to admit of ladies conveniently mounting or dismounting from the same. By the employment of my invention these stoops, which must be carried about from car to car, are altogether done away with, and the auxiliary step turned down, when so desired, to take their places.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with the steps proper, of an auxiliary step comprising rigid stairstep-shaped rods, an auxiliary step rigidly connected to the ends of said rods, and a supporting-rod pivotally mounted upon the steps proper and provided at its opposite ends with slots adapted to receive the supporting-bars; the construction and operation being such that the auxiliary step may be extended into operative position or doubled backen the steps proper at will.

2. The combination with the car-steps proper, of an auxiliary step for the same, stair-step bars connected to the opposite ends of said auxiliary step and provided with hooked ends and a transverse rod provided with loops adapted to receive said hooked ends of the stair-step bar, and permit said bar to be turned up, so that the auxiliary step will lie upon the top of one of the steps proper, or down, in its operative position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JENNIE REYNOLDS.

Witnesses:

SARAH COLEY, L. C. HESS. 

